Lily’s face flushes, and we both scramble to stand. “Sorry, Aunt,” she mumbles.
Agatha waves her hand. “I was young and in love once, too.”
My mouth drops open, and out of the corner of my eye, I see Lily’s open, too.
Agatha? In a romantic relationship?
What?!Lily mouths to me. I shrug a shoulder.
“It’s time for some scones,” Agatha calls out from the kitchen. “Lily, come help me make some tea.”
“Now?” Lily asks. “That’s usually our afternoon treat.”
“I have a hankering for it now,” Agatha replies.
My phone starts buzzing again in my pocket. I pull it out—same number.
Lily furrows her brow at me. “Maybe you should take that.”
“At the very least to tell them to stop calling me,” I reply.
Lily walks over to Agatha, and I click the green button, taking the call. “Hello?”
“Hello, is this Ryder Hawthorne?” A man’s voice rings in my ear, sounding somewhat familiar but impossible to place.
“Yes. May I ask who is calling?”
A pause. “I’m not sure if you’ll believe me.” I can hear a smile in his voice, but it puts me more on edge than at ease.
“Try me,” I say, my voice flat.
I hear a low chuckle on the other end. “My name is Tristan Jackson.”
CHAPTER 34
Ryder
FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN — ÉTUDE NO. 4 IN C-SHARP MINOR, OP. 10
My eyes fly to Lily, panic settling in my chest. Feeling my eyes on her, she looks up and flashes me a bright smile, her hands covered in dough and a dusting of flour on her cheek.
I turn my back to her, unable to return her smile. I press the switch on the sconce, opening the bookshelf door, and step onto the staircase so I can speak freely. “What do you want?” I growl into the phone.
“Hey there, easy now. I just wanted to have a little chat.”
My hand clenches into a fist. “We both know that’s not true. Tell me what you want.”
There’s a moment of silence on the other end. “I think we have something in common,” he finally says.
“I doubt it.”
“Don’t be so hasty. It seems you’re interested in my leftovers. A certain someone by the name of Lily Stone.”
How does he know? Who else knows? It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours since we kissed.
I can’t give him the satisfaction of confirming his claim. Maybe he’s just guessing.
I hesitate a moment, taking a deep breath and forcing myself to calm down. This isn’t the way I would act if I didn’t have feelings for her. I can’t seem too affected at just the mention of her name. My goal is to find out what he wants and to make sure nothing happens to Lily. “I don’t know what you mean,” I say coolly. “I’m a friend of the family, but I wouldn’t say I’m interested in anything beyond that.”
